Implement for deadening tobacco-plants.



No. 837,473. PATENTED DBG. 4, 1906. L. G. IHRIG.

IMPLEMENT FOR DEADENING TOBACCO PLANTS. APPLICATION FILED APB.19.1906.

1H: MORRIS Psrsns co., wAsmNczrnN. n. c.

LUTHER GEO. IHRIG, CF LEUCXBURG, KENTUCKY.

IMPLEMENT FOR DEADENING TOBACCO-PLANTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

l Application tiled April 19,1906. Serial No. 312.609.

T0 all 71,771,077?, '//f Yllt/ty concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER Gno. Innre, a citizen of the United States,residing at LenoXburg, in the county of Bracken and State of Kentucky,have invented new and useful Improvements in Implements for DeadeningTobacco-Plants, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to implements for use in the treatment of plants;and it contemplates the provision of an implement through the medium ofwhich tobacco-plants may be expeditiously and easily deadened i. e.,bruised adjacent to the bases of the stalks-and in that way caused toripen quickly, to increase in weight, and to improve in color.

The invention will be fully understood from the following descriptionand claims when the same are read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification7 in which- Figure l is aperspective view illustrating the lower portion of my novel implement asproperly arranged relative to a tobacco-plant to be deadened. Fig. 2 isan enlarged inverted plan view of the said portion of the implement, andFig. 3 is a transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line3 3 of F ig. 2.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of thedrawings, referring to which- A A are the plant-engaging members of theimplement constituting the present and preferred embodiment of myinvention. The said members A are reduced in thickness and lapped at anintermediate point, as best shown in Fig. l, and are pivotally connectedtogether through the medium of a pintle a, having a large beveled headat its lower end, as shown in Fig. 2. Each member A com prises a forwardjaw B, the inner edge 0f which is blunt and rounded, as appears in Fig.l, and a rear arm C, which is disposed at an obtuse angle to the aw,this latter in order to enable the arms C to extend upwardly at anobtuse angle when the jaws B are placed flat on the ground or are heldin a horizontal position slightly above the ground, as when engaging atobacco-plant after the manner shown in Fig. l.

D D are hand-levers which are preferably of a considerable length, so asto afford leverage. The said hand-levers D are connected at pointsadjacent to their forward ends to the rear portions of the arms Cthrough the medium of pintles l) and are pivotally connected together attheir forward ends and to the forward ends of links E through the mediumof a pintle c. The links E are in turn pivotally connected through themedium of the before-mentioned pintles b to the arms C and thehand-levers D.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that when the rear ends of thehand-levers D are moved outwardly the jaws B will be moved apart topermit them to be readily engaged with the stalk of a t0bacco-plant andthat when the rear ends of the hand-levers D are moved toward each otherthe jaws B will be moved together or closed, also that through themedium of the said hand-levers D and the arms C the operator is enabledto exert great leverage on the jaws B and in that way bruise the stalkof the plant between the jaws quickly and with the expenditure of but aminimum amount of effort. It will further be apparent that the links Eassist in the connection of the hand-levers D to the arms C of themembers A and in that way contribute materially to the strength anddurability of the implement as a whole.

My novel implement will be found to be of practical advantage when acrop of tobacco is late and Ithere is liability of its not ripeningbefore it is destroyed by frost, for then rather than cut the tobaccowhile it is green an operator can deaden it, and thereby cause it toripen quickly without loss of quality. Moreover', when the tobacco isdeadened, as stated, its weight is increased and it is improved in colorand at the same time is adapted to be handled without liability ofbreaking. I would also have it understood that the deadener can be usedto great advantage in extremely wet seasons.

My novel implement is simple and inexpensive' in construction andembodies no delicate parts such as are liable to get out of order aftera short period of use.

As will be observed by reference toFiO". 2, the inner edges of the jawsB are slightly concave in the direction of their length, this in orderto adapt the forward ends of the aws to come together when the aws areclosed on a stalk to prevent too great crushing of the stalk and also toprevent the deadener from slipping away from the stalk when pressure isapplied on the hand-levers.

IOO

IIO

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent7 isl. An implement having jaws the inner edges of whichare convex in cross-section; the said edges being slightly concave inthe direction of their length and having forward ends arranged to comevtogether when the jaws are closed on a stalk.

2. An implement for deadening tobaccoplants, comprising memberspivotally con nected together at an intermediate point in their lengthand having'vforward aws the inner edges of which are blunt and also hav#ing rear arms, and hand-levers pivotally connected together at theirforward ends and pivotally connected at points in rear of their forwardends to the rear ends of the arms of the members.

3. An implement for deadening tobaccoplants, comprising memberspivotally connected together at an intermediate point in their lengthand having forward jaws the inner edges of which are blunt and areconcave in the direction of their length and also havtogether at theirforward ends and pivotally connected at points in rear of their forwardends to the rear ends of the arms of the members, and links pivotallyconnected to the forward ends of the hand-levers and to the arms of themembers at the points where vsaid arms are connected to the hand-levers.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses. i

LUTHER GEO. IHRIG. Witnesses:

D. C. MOMATH, E. L. MCMATH.

